If Jim hadn't died in 1990

[MartyMuppets]

If Jim was still alive he'd be 71.

Yes he certainly could possibly still have been with us today.

 

[Xerus]

I also wondered if Jim hadn't died, would he have organized an honorable funeral for Richard Hunt?

 

[MelissaY1]

Hey Gang! I just thought of somethng so...well...I can't really think of the word for it, but here goes.

Has anyone ever stopped and wondered how different the Muppets' world would be if Jim hadn't died in 1990?
Would Christmas Carol or Treasure Island have been made?
Would Muppets Tonight have even existed?
Would Pepe still be here?
All these new projects and characters that came into existance after Jim's death...

Can you imagine them still happening if Jim were still alive or do you think The Muppets would ahve gone down a completely different road with the big boss still in charge? Think about it. Awkward, isn't it...

It's awkward, but you could say the same thing about most pop cultural geniuses who have passed on too young. Perfect example: what if John Lennon and George Harrison were still alive? Would the Beatles ever reunite, what kind of music would they be making today and so forth.

I have been happy with many efforts from the Muppets/Henson company since Jim's passing and I've also been as equally disappointed too.

The sad fact is, I don't know if it's so much that a great icon like Jim isn't with us anymore more than it is that how much has the WORLD and especially the pop culture/media world changed since? I think if Jim were alive today though he would've probably been fascinated with current technology and still would incorporate the old with the new styles of puppetry.

It reminds me of something I heard about Lou Costello of Abbott & Costello fame. His daughter was interviewed awhile back about what her father would've thought of the state of Hollywood and the movies today. She said he would've been fascinated with DVD technology that you could own these movies and watch them over and over. Something we take for granted now but back then it would've been a HUGE breakthrough.

 

[MelissaY1]

you know somebody posted the pitch tape for JHH on youtube the other day and watching it, it struck me just how ambitious Jim was and how many ideas he had. I know it's a term that gets thrown around a lot but Jim really was a visionary and the Muppets were just a small part of that vision. if you look at his career everything was a springboard to what was next. there really is a logical progression from the commercials to sesame, to the Muppets, to DC, to Fraggles, to JHH.

Jim was always looking to the future and I think what gets lost in looking at his legacy is exactly how far ahead of the game he was. Look at Waldo in JHH and Muppetvision. he was created in '88 and then about five years later you have films like Jurassic Park and toy Story and whatever else and there's this fear that computer animation was going to replace practical effects (Yoda for example). I think Jim saw that and was preparing for it. He was finding his place.

I don't think Jim would have sued Disney because I think Disney (then) would have done more with the characters and I think Jim would have more a part of it. I think that was really what Disney was looking for. I don't think they really wanted the Muppets as much as they wanted Jim. I don't think (more recently) they wanted Pixar as much as they wanted John Lasseter.

As for projects like MCC, MTI, and Muppets Tonight...I dunno. I think they would have happened in some form, but they would certainly be very different.

--Matt

I agree. I've always been very interested in Jim's early work and everytime I attend these retrospective things at the local museums in NYC and even the Huntington event last summer, I am AWED by how much his mind was always going creatively and like you said was looking towards the future.

I recently obtained a copy of his early film "The Cube" and it is one of the most brilliant projects I've seen him do. No puppetry, no Muppet characters, and yet the story and the characters were top notch and it reminded me very much of the original Twilight Zone episodes. Like Rod Serling (another true creative genius), Jim saw a new medium of entertainment (television) and took it to the next level and ran with wild ideas that made for great viewing.

YET, in this particular film you still saw his wacky humor step through and things you would see used on the Muppet Show later on. I think if Jim were around today he'd be not only trying to produce different kinds of feature films but would be producing very interesting independent projects, like someone here said, internet projects and the possibilities are endless.

That's why I get so annoyed when people TO THIS DAY only associate Jim with Kermit and Sesame Street and cutesy kids stuff. Jim had so much other creative energies to give and it's sad we'll never see the results of that.

 

[CBPuppets]

If Jim was still alive he would still be active with the muppets like Carol Spinney.

 

[unclematt]

Could you imagine the Muppets in Pixar form. I think that is the kind of stuff we would be looking at.

I will tell you one thing for sure. If Jim was still with us the Muppets would have never faded from the public eye. They would still be as popular today as they were during thier glory years.

 

[CBPuppets]

Mickey Mouse wasn't like this when Walt Disney Died.

 

[unclematt]

You are absolutely right. But Disney has found a way to keep Mickey in the spotlight which they could do with Kermit too if they really wanted to.

 

[CBPuppets]

I just hope they do.......

 

[unclematt]

Hopefully the new movie will pull them out of thier trunks and they will rise to above thier performers heads once again and stay where they belong